Nowadays one of the most common organizational eco-innovations in energy companies is introducing environmental management systems (EMS). Nevertheless, the issues of environmental and economic efficiency of EMS remain controversial. The purpose of this work is to develop a methodology for assessing the effectiveness of environmental management systems of Russian energy companies certified in accordance with ISO 14001. Since Russian companies do not have EMAS conformance certificates, the issues of the effectiveness of environmental management systems under the European Environmental Management Scheme and eco-audit were not considered in this study. The study is based on the data from annual corporate reports of the largest energy companies of the Russian Federation, which have the organizational and legal form of public joint-stock companies. The selection criteria were: i) the existence of an integrated management system, which is based on a certified environmental management system; ii) the presence in the corporate reports of data on the environmental performance of the company, at least a few years before and after the introduction of EMS, sufficient for statistical analysis using a two depended samples T-test. The study has shown that the application of ISO 14001 can be considered as a condition for the development of eco-innovation, as a well-designed environmental management strategy covers the whole range of issues related to innovative development, modernization and competitiveness. The introduction of EMS is also associated with an increase in the information transparency of the entire production system of the company, which is also a positive point in terms of the development of innovative processes.
The Krasnodar territory is considered one of most attractive regions in Russia in terms of its climatic characteristics for the development of renewable energy sources. According to the current plans of Russian Ministry of Energy, the cumulative capacity of wind generating facilities in the Krasnodar Territory will reach 405 MW by 2022. It is well known form the literature, the average installed capacity utilization factor of wind turbines currently is about 30%. Comparatively low installed capacity utilization factor of wind parks significantly increases their payback period, thereby reducing commercial attractiveness. However, from an environmental point of view, low installed capacity utilization factor of wind plant can also be a problem: this means that most of the energy and materials spent on the manufacturing of an energy object do not produce a useful output, in other words, wasted. Therefore, a promising way to increase the installed capacity utilization factor of wind and solar plants is the use of energy storage systems. But the production and disposal of chemical energy storage systems is also associated with significant negative environmental effects, therefore, in the case of their large-scale application it is necessary to correctly assess the environmental consequences of this method of increasing the installed capacity utilization factor of wind plants. In this study we evaluate on the basis of the life cycle assessment methodology two possible alternatives: (1) the use of wind parks without energy storage systems, and (2) the production of energy storage systems necessary for the accumulation of electricity produced by wind parks in the Krasnodar Territory, which cannot be supplied to the power system and, hence, is thrown away.
The transition to circular economy models is a big challenge for enterprises, since it forces them not only to change established supply chains, pay extra attention to the quality and durability of manufactured products, develop schemes for the collection and subsequent disposal of products that have worked out their life, but also actively develop eco-innovation activities and participate in R&D more actively. The aim of this work is to study examples of the implementation of circular business models from the leading EU-based companies. The focus of the research on European companies is due to the fact that the European Union has been implementing a plan for the transition to a circular economy since 2015. In order to track the nature of applied eco-innovation in the field of CE the case-studies from the leading EU-based companies have been analysed. The choice of the companies is determined by their commitment to the CE principles and availability of the obtained results in their annual reports. The case-studies have shown all reviewed companies demonstrated beyond average commitment to the principles of CE in all aspects (sayings, doings and materiality). Their strong adherence is determined by their intense environmental impact and leading positions at regional and global markets.
Subject. The article addresses circular models of production systems organization. In Russia, the circular economy concept has not been significantly developed, either theoretically or practically. Objectives. We focus on developing a method for quantitative assessment of the current level and a potential for circular economy development in Russian regions. The method rests on the analysis of business environment. The proposed approach to measuring the level of circular economy development was tested on the data from the Central, Northwestern and Southern Federal Districts for 2017. Methods. The study employs general scientific methods. Results. Our calculations show that Moscow, the Chechen Republic, the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, the Orel and Bryansk regions had the highest level of circular economy development in 2017. As for the Chechen Republic, this result is explained by the fact that the region has zero environmental expenditures, including the organization of the waste management system. Therefore, in the practical use of the offered method, we propose to exclude objects with zero and extremely low cost of environmental management from sample data. Conclusions. The lack of reliable data on circular economy development creates significant management problems, making it difficult for government departments to forge an adequate strategy for production models systems, which are specific to the circular economy, as well as a system of measures to boost it.
a доктор экономических наук, ведущий научный сотрудник лаборатории экономической динамики и управления инновациями Института проблем управления им. В.А. Трапезникова РАН, профессор кафедры экономико-математического моделирования Российского университета дружбы народов (РУДН),
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